Posted By Melissa Chodan On September 29, 2009 @ 3:11 pm In High School Soccer | Comments Disabled

The Somerset County Tournament will be seeded at a meeting Wednesday at Ridge. Some things are clear cut; others are a little fuzzy. I think the “big teams” will still dominate the tournament with an upset or two possible, but I think the bracket will turn out to be pretty true.

Here’s my top-eight ballot. I ranked them through Saturday’s game.

There are things you can argue (like Watchung Hills’ loss to Immaculata and players that are injured), but I think my bracket is pretty stable.

What would yours look like?

1. Pingry. The defending tournament champions are a much different team than last year, but the

Big Blue still possess the same dedication and talent. Sweeper Scott Keogh and midfielder Tyler Smith are two of the undefeated team’s key returners.

2. Ridge. The Red Devils advanced to the semifinals last year, losing on penalty kicks to Gill St. Bernard’s. Ridge has a large senior class and the discipline needed to make a statement in the tournament.

3. Watchung Hills. The Warriors lost to Pingry, but they were able to hold the Big Blue to two goals. They have a spread offense with multiple scoring options and Jeff Wong in goal. A loss to Immaculata with two key players out will hurt the Warriors.

4. Montgomery. The Cougars lost to Watchung Hills in the season opener and have allowed just three goals in the five wins since. One of the losses was a 2-1 defeat to Pingry.

5. Bridgewater-Raritan. The Panthers’ losses are to Hunterdon Central and Montgomery, but they do have a high-quality win over North Hunterdon.

6. North Plainfield. First in the Raritan Division, the Canucks have defeated Bernards and Gill St. Bernard’s and tied Delaware Valley. Sam Fajardo has been a key in goal, and every game a different player has been stepping up on offense. The lone loss was 1-0 to Wardlaw-Hartridge.

7. Bernards. The Mountaineers biggest win was 4-1 against Delaware Valley. Jose Chavez and Ray Arce put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses and have a history of coming through in clutch situations.

8. Gill St. Bernard’s. Few teams likely will challenge for a chance to face Pingry in the quarterfinals by landing this seed, but some Delaware East team might make a play for the spot because of strength of schedule. The Knights have been struggling offensively this season.